Organic Wastes

Abstract

“Organic.” Great if health food is the issue, not necessarily good as marine debris. Even organic items that typically belong to beaches (think snail shells or the occasional jellyfish), if present in excessive amounts, already point to potential human impacts. Food remains are very common on beaches and attract scavengers, which tend to leave behind their own special digestive wastes after doing their “recycling” job. Beaches are the world’s biggest litterbox, and feces of any type are a health hazard. What’s one criterion for removing organic wastes during beach cleanups: if you wouldn’t like to step on it (as soft as it may be), better remove it. Never handle dead, dying, or entangled marine organisms yourself, and, please, please, refrain from taking selfies with any beach wildlife.